When operating agricultural vehicles on public roads, operators must abide by vehicle weight restrictions imposed by state and federal governments. Vehicle weight restrictions are government imposed to reduce damage to roadways caused by heavy vehicles and minimize fatal accidents. Most commonly, vehicle weight restrictions are measured in terms of load per axle and the overall spacing between axles. Thus, if the number of axles on the vehicle and the spacing thereof is increased, a given vehicle may carry more weight than would otherwise be permitted.
To satisfy vehicle weight restrictions, an agricultural vehicle can be made smaller to alleviate the weight per axle of the vehicle. This is not an adequate solution, however, because small agricultural vehicles fail to meet the needs of farmers operating the vehicles in the field. Another option is to add a permanent axle to the agricultural vehicle, which would distribute the weight of the vehicle to more axles and would in turn decrease the weight per axle of the vehicle. This is not a desirable solution because an additional permanent axle may impede the operation of the vehicle when in the field. A third option is to add an axle that can be deployed to engage the road only when necessary. This axle is commonly called a “tag axle.” A tag axle is an axle that can be deployed from a stowed position when necessary to distribute the weight of a vehicle over more axles thereby reducing the weight per axle of the vehicle.
Tag axles are commonly used on large commercial trucks, many of which often travel through many states, with each state having its own weight restrictions. Although tag axles are commonly used for large commercial trucks, they are not used for agricultural vehicles. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a device that allows an agricultural vehicle to optimally operate both on the field and on roadways without exceeding weight restrictions. Unfortunately, conventional tag axles are not suitable for agricultural use due to incompatibility with agricultural vehicles and potential interference with the ground when used off-road. Therefore, there is a need for a tag axle that is compatible with agricultural vehicles yet also does not interfere with off-road operation.